AFT Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

This is the fourth category of the 2nd Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Runners-up:
ALEXIS ZEGERMAN, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
REBEKKA KARIJORD, REPRISE
RACHEL MCADAMS, THE LUCKY ONES
SAMANTHA MORTON, SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
MILA KUNIS, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

The winner:
Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) broke out in a major way with a completely wonderful and romantic performance as a long lost love.

Other nominees:
Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married) was a perfect complement to Anne Hathaway’s more ferocious sister and also broke through in a big way. Angelica Huston (Choke) created an entirely mystical character whose true motivations and thoughts are unknown, due in part to her deteriorating memory. Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long) gave Kristin Scott Thomas a run for her money as a chipper younger sister quietly desperate for her older sibling’s approval. Natalie Portman (My Bluebbery Nights) was impossibly enchanting, and her character’s zaniness matched her outrageous hair color.

AFT Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

This is the third category of the 2nd Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Runners-up:
JOHN MALKOVICH, CHANGELING
RALPH FIENNES, IN BRUGES
ROBERT DOWNEY JR, TROPIC THUNDER
TOM NOONAN, SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
EDDIE MARSAN, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

The winner:
Mark Strong (Body of Lies) was an awesome, frightening, incredible force to be reckoned with and managed to make Leonardo DiCaprio’s character shake in his boots quite a few times. Though I don’t award additional performances, I must say that his hilarious turn in “RocknRolla” also merits enormous recognition.

Other nominees:
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) threw himself fully into his last role and created a truly terrifying and fascinating villain. Bill Irwin (Rachel Getting Married) gave an incredibly real performance as the broken father of two unstable daughters. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) didn’t quite let you hate him as a less experienced actor might have in the role of a potentially abusive priest. Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (Slumdog Millionaire) bested a number of actors twice his age as the youngest Jamal, helping enormously to capture the exotic spirit of the film.

AFT Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role

This is the second category of the 2nd Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Runners-up:
KATE WINSLET, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
ANNASOPHIA ROBB, SLEEPWALKING
RONIT ELKABETZ, THE BAND’S VISIT
KRISTIN BELL, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG

The winner:
Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) embodied the bubbliest, most unflappable cinematic character ever to grace the screen. Nothing could get her down, and it was a perfectly lived-in performance.

Other nominees:
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) impressed me for the first time and blew me away with her honest turn as a fresh-out-of-rehab druggie crashing her sister’s wedding. Melissa Leo (Frozen River) conveyed the desperation of her single mother’s situation, and charted a magnificent and unexpected course for her character. Angelina Jolie (Changeling) kept her emotions in check while fighting against corruption and lies, and stayed strong doing it. Meryl Streep (Doubt) took on indecency and less-talked about horrors with a fierce vengeance that was both humorous and never for a second showed signs of letting up.

AFT Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role

This is the first category of the 2nd Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Runners-up:
FRANK LANGELLA, FROST/NIXON
SASSON GABAI, THE BAND’S VISIT
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
KARL MARKOVICS, THE COUNTERFEITERS
JASON SEGEL, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

The winner:
Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) was the most likeable, awesome superhero in years, completely funny and legitimate at the same time, and he carried his film.

Other nominees:
Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) was gruff and grunted at every possible turn, but it’s a deeply committed performance that is both humorous and respectable, sympathetic despite his intense racism and intolerance. Sam Rockwell (Choke) finally found a role that suits his particular talents and allows him to ooze arrogance and sleaziness while still charming every woman he meets, also keeping the film’s overly sexual nature in check. Sean Penn (Milk) was a kind-hearted unifier who helped to really capture the spirit of the movement and the time. Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) was a great comeback story, showcasing a broken character desperately seeking to return to his realm, showing off his best dramatic (fights) and comic (deli counter) skills.

The AFT Awards are coming!

Now that the Oscars are over, what next? I would like to present my choices for the best in cinema this past year! My awards include all the regular categories honored at the Oscars (minus the short films, since I've only seen two short films of any kind this year). I also include categories for ensemble cast, breakthrough performance, limited role, and others. Additionally, the announcement of the 2nd Annual AFT Awards will culminate in my top ten scenes of the year, and top 25 films of the year. While most just pick a top ten, I'd like to recognize more of the films that I found so enchanting and exhilarating this year.

Awards will be announced one category per day, starting this Wednesday, February 25th, until the tail end of March. I'll be back infrequently and occasionally after that, returning full-force in May once I'm back in the United States and start heading to the movies again. Enjoy the awards and please offer your own thoughts or choices in the comments!

Oscar Winner Reactions

I haven't seen the ceremony yet, and I'm hoping I will, so I'm purposely not reading anything about the ceremony itself. I did check out the winners this morning, and they're definitely not terribly surprising. The lone surprise is the victory of "Departures" from Japan for Best Foreign Film over "Waltz with Bashir" and "The Class." This can be compared to "The Lives of Others" beating heavy favorite "Pan's Labyrinth," the difference there being that "The Lives of Others" had in fact been released in the United States (and seen by me) a week before the Oscars. The thing with that category is that voters have to have seen all five films, and as a result it's possible that the least-seen one is actually the best. I hope to see it if ever it falls within my reach.

I did much better with my predictions than last year, going up from 12/24 to 16/24, though it's actually worse since this was a very easy year. I'm happy to report that I correctly predicted all of Slumdog Millionaire's wins and no extraneous ones. I pegged Mickey Rourke and Viola Davis over Sean Penn and Penelope Cruz, but both are fine winners (Cruz was probably the best out of her category's poor crop of nominees). I thought "Iron Man" might have a fighting chance in its two nominated categories, but it lost to "Benjamin Button" in Visual Effects, and "The Dark Knight" in Sound Editing. My biggest downfall was those darn short films. I predicted all three incorrectly, but then again, I had only seen two of the animated shorts and none of the others, so I was guessing blind. Overall, I'm decently happy with my predictions, and I'm preparing next year to both have the biggest Oscar party I've ever fathomed and to be more wholly involved with the process of predictions (and do amazingly on my winner predictions!).

If I get to see the ceremony, I'll comment on it, but otherwise, be sure to check back Wednesday for the debut of the 2nd Annual AFT Awards and see my picks for the best of the year. Categories will be posted every day through the end of March. Don't miss it!

Final Oscar Predictions

The Oscars are only about half a day away, and I'm saddened that this will be the first time since I've been really into the awards (about six years) that I won't be watching the Oscars. Rest assured, this is the last awards show I'll miss, and my missing it is only due to my presence in a foreign country where it would be broadcast in the wee hours of the night. I'll still have commentary on the winners sometime tomorrow. Additionally, don't forget to check back starting Wednesday for the announcement of my own awards, the 2nd Annual AFT Awards!

As far as these Oscars are concerned, I'm expecting fairly standard winners but I'd be careful to watch out for the most volatile category: Best Actress. Melissa Leo picked up an Independent Spirit Award last night for "Frozen River," and that puts her in decent standing (though hardly assures a win) with potential spoiler Anne Hathaway, frontrunner Kate Winslet, and possible victor Meryl Streep. Quite honestly, I'd be thrilled with anyone except Winslet, based solely on performances, but I'm not keeping my hopes high. Also, I believe that "Slumdog Millionaire" will sweep almost all of its awards and that "Frost/Nixon" will go home empty-handed. I think the show will be very short due to attempts to limit it to, I believe, 3 hours this year. That's rather unfortunate, but I won't be looking at it until at least tomorrow night, so hopefully they'll have gotten it right by next year. Happy watching, and leave comments of your own predictions or reactions to the ceremony!

No guts, no glory predictions:
MELISSA LEO for Best Actress
IN BRUGES for Best Original Screenplay
WANTED for Best Sound Editing

Final Predictions

BEST PICTURE: Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis, Doubt

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Dustin Lance Black, Milk

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Slumdog Millionaire

FILM EDITING: Slumdog Millionaire

ART DIRECTION: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

COSTUME DESIGN: The Duchess

ORIGINAL SCORE: Slumdog Millionaire

ORIGINAL SONG: “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire

SOUND: Slumdog Millionaire

SOUND EDITING: Iron Man

MAKEUP: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

VISUAL EFFECTS: Iron Man

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Waltz with Bashir

ANIMATED FEATURE: Wall-E

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Man on Wire

DOCUMENTARY SHORT: The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306

ANIMATED SHORT: Presto

LIVE-ACTION SHORT: On the Line

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Picture

The nominees:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

My ballot: 0/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Who will win: At this point, it’s over. Slumdog Millionaire wins the top award.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Director

The nominees:
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk

My ballot: 1/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: Boyle
Who will win: It’s not really a competition anymore. Barring some crazy upset which signals a greater preference for another movie, favoring maybe Fincher or Daldry, this trophy belongs to Boyle.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Visual Effects

The nominees:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN

My ballot: 3/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Iron Man”
Who will win: Tough call between all three, but I’ll go for the dazzling, sparkling visuals of Iron Man over the awe-inspiring impossibilities of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Documentary

The nominees:
THE BETRAYAL
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
THE GARDEN
MAN ON WIRE
TROUBLE THE WATER

My ballot: N/A
Who should win: I’ve only seen “Man on Wire,” but it was terrific!
Who will win: The frontrunner seems to be Man on Wire, though there’s the chance for an upset by “Trouble the Water,” whose serious nature could trump the former more fun film, just like last year when “Taxi to the Dark Side” beat out “Sicko.”

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Animated Feature

The nominees:
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E

My ballot: 2/3 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Wall-E”
Who will win: There’s reason to be concerned here. Somehow the dismal “Kung Fu Panda” managed to trounce both “Wall-E” and “Waltz with Bashir” in all categories at the Annie Awards (for the best in animation). I still think Wall-E can pull off its well-deserved win, but I’m scared.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Foreign Film

The nominees:
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX
THE CLASS
DEPARTURES
REVANCHE
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

My ballot: N/A
Who should win: I’ve only seen “The Class” and “Waltz with Bashir,” but the latter one blew me away as my favorite film of the year
Who will win: I’m still betting on Waltz with Bashir though three of them are unknown quantities, though I fear an upset by the heavily overrated “The Class.”

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Makeup

The nominees:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY

My ballot: 2/3 (TBA soon)
Who should win: With “Synecdoche, New York” bitterly left off the list, I don’t care very much, and I haven’t seen “Hellboy 2”
Who will win: A toss-up, but I think the movie-driving makeup of Benjamin Button will carry it to a win in this category.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Sound Editing

The nominees:
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

My ballot: 3/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Wanted” or “Iron Man”
Who will win: Many people are saying “Wall-E” will triumph here, and “The Dark Knight” easily could, but I’m betting on Iron Man.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Sound

The nominees:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E
WANTED

My ballot: 2/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Wanted”
Who will win: With the bizarre absence of frontrunner “Iron Man” here, it’s a question of whether the sound-driven films (“The Dark Knight” or “Wanted”) will in fact win here, or whether Slumdog Millionaire sweeps even this category.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Original Song

The nominees:
“Jai Ho” from SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
“O Saya…” from SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
“Down to Earth” from WALL-E

My ballot: 3/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: Any of them
Who will win: It’s hard to tell with only three nominees and two from the same film, but it seems that Jai Ho is being promoted way more than “O Saya” and therefore should manage to win.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Original Score

The nominees:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DEFIANCE
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
WALL-E

My ballot: 1/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Who will win: A.R. Rahman’s brilliant score for Slumdog Millionaire is way ahead of the rest.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Film Editing

The nominees:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

My ballot: 1/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Who will win: It’s easily possible that this category will be a way to recognize the Best Picture-snubbed “Dark Knight,” but a Slumdog Millionaire sweep should prevent that.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Costume Design

The nominees:
AUSTRALIA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DUCHESS
MILK
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

My ballot: 3/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “The Duchess”
Who will win: This is the only place that “Australia” managed to get recognized, but the lavish outfits worn by Keira Knightley should put The Duchess safely in the frontrunner spot, especially considering similar winners of the past two years (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and “Marie Antoinette”).

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Art Direction

The nominees:
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

My ballot: 2/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Benjamin Button” or “Revolutionary Road”
Who will win: I imagine this is where Benjamin Button can take advantage of the absence of “Slumdog Millionaire” and pull off one of its only wins.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Cinematography

The nominees:
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

My ballot: 2/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Changeling,” “Benjamin Button,” or “Slumdog Millionaire”
Who will win: It’s possible that either “Benjamin Button” or the beloved “Dark Knight” could upset here, but remember how cool Slumdog Millionaire looked? I’m sure Academy members will.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Adapted Screenplay

The nominees:
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

My ballot: 3/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Who will win: While popular adaptations of plays “Doubt” and “Frost/Nixon” and short story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” might once have had a shot, it’s almost entirely likely that Slumdog Millionaire will sweep all the awards.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Original Screenplay

The nominees:
FROZEN RIVER
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
IN BRUGES
MILK
WALL-E

My ballot: 2/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: Any are terrific, I’d be happiest with “In Bruges”
Who will win: It’s sort of wide open, with the WGA list between 4/5 different, and the one common denominator, Milk, taking home that award. With four new competitors, I still think it wins, but I’d be thrilled with an upset by “Wall-E” or “In Bruges.”

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

The nominees:
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

My ballot: 0/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: I don’t like this list at all, but I suppose Cruz was okay
Who will win: Hard to tell with repeat winner Winslet in a different category, so it might be Cruz. I think instead the overrated bit part by Davis wins over “Doubt” lovers and Academy voters.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

The nominees:
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

My ballot: 2/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: Ledger
Who will win: There’s no reason why Ledger won’t win, even though Oscar history contains only one posthumous win. He’s just too popular and I don’t think any of these other four (with the absence of Dev Patel) have the buzz or the momentum to defeat him.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Actress in a Leading Role

The nominees:
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Reader

My ballot: 4/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: Hathaway
Who will win: This race vexes me quite a bit, because I fear that Winslet will take home her first Oscar for a movie she really doesn’t deserve to win an Oscar for, at least not in the leading race, whereas I would have supported a win for her role in “Revolutionary Road.” Especially with Sally Hawkins out of the race, Hathaway far and way deserves to win this, but I’m trying to be more realistic with my predictions this year than ever before, so I think it’s entirely more likely that Streep will be the one to beat Winslet. I’ll sadly stick with Winslet, but acknowledge that she is a good actress and I suppose this performance isn’t bad, it’s just not better than any of these other four.

Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Actor in a Leading Role

The nominees:
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

My ballot: 2/5 (TBA soon)
Who should win: Penn or Rourke
Who will win: It’s a two-way race between Penn and Rourke, but I think the comeback story, even though it’s already paid off at the Golden Globes and other awards, will give Rourke his first Oscar.